WHITE  LOTUS 

«•  THE 

Legend  of  the  Cat’s  Eye 

Illustrations  and  Text  by 

CARLO  DE  FORNARO 


Published  by  MARCUS  & CO. 
Jewelers 

544  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


WHITE  LOTUS 


THE 

Legend  of  the  Cat’s  Eye 

Illustrations  and  Text  by 

CARLO  DE  FORNARO 


Published  by  MARCUS  & CO. 
Jewelers 

544  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


Copyright,  1901,  by 
Carlo  de  Fornaro 


To 

Miss  Eugenie  White 


Indra,  the  lover  of  girls,  the  husband  of  wives. 

— Rig  Veda. 

HE  great  God  Indra  had  once 
forgotten  himself  so  far  as  to 
fall  in  love  with  a Princess  of 
Mortal  Blood. 

It  must  be  said  in  extenua- 
tion that  she  was  of  the  bluest 
blood,  so  blue  indeed  that  in 
comparison  to  it  the  sapphire  would  fade  and 
grow  pale ; and  so  aristocratic  and  ancient  was 
her  royal  lineage  that  the  parchment  on  which 
the  names  of  her  ancestors  were  duly  recorded 
would  easily  have  stretched  across  the  peninsula 
from  Mount  Davalaghiri  to  Cape  Comorin,  and 


5 


with  a little  tugging  might  easily  have  reached 
over  to  Ceylon  as  far  as  Adam’s  Peak. 

Now  the  Ruler  of  the  gods  knew  well  enough 
that  the  Princess  was  unapproachable  by  men,  no 
matter  how  exalted  their  rank.  As  a God  he  was 
invisible  to  mankind ; therefore,  to  the  great 
shock  and  indignation  of  the  other  gods  and  his 
wife  Indrani,  he  took  the  incarnation  of  a beau- 
tiful Angora  cat,  as  fluffy  and  delicate  as  a cotton 
puff,  immaculately  white,  with  a bushy  tail,  gray- 
green  eyes,  very  bristling  mustachios  and  a nose 
pink  as  a rose  coral  bead. 

Then  he  dropped  into  the  lap  of  the  Rajah, 
the  father  of  the  Princess,  as  he  was  driving  in 
state  through  the  town. 

“ Surely  this  is  a message  from  the  gods,  O 
Protector ! ” said  humbly  the  Prime  Minister. 
<c  Many  moons  has  the  Princess  of  all  virtues 
wished  for  such  a perfect  specimen,  and  if  the 
Protector  will  deign  to  utter  the  wish  it  will  be 
presented  to  the  Princess.” 


7 


W 


u Be  it  so,’’  wearily  said  the  Rajah. 

Thus  it  happened  that  the  Angora  was  incor- 
porated into  the  royal  household.  The  Princess 
took  a violent  fancy  to  White  Lotus,  as  she  named 
him  ; nothing  was  too  exquisite  or  too  rare  for  him, 
and  he  was  much  more  important  an  individual 
than  the  Prime  Minister  or  even  her  own  mother. 

Every  morning  three  white-turbaned  bearers 
would  offer  him  a beautiful  crystal  bowl  teeming 
with  the  fattest  and  most  picturesquely  varie- 
gated gold-fishes  ; then  followed  three  other  bear- 
ers, who,  humbly  salaaming,  would  present  him  a 
gorgeous  silver  bowl  with  milk  from  the  fairest  of 
Cashmere  goats. 

And  while  he  was  eating  and  drinking  to  his 
content,  a numerous  band  of  court  musicians 
would  softly  play  on  stringed  instruments. 

When  he  had  finished  his  repast,  and  while  he 
was  busy  licking  his  paws,  the  court  poet  would 
appear  and,  salaaming  profoundly,  address  him 
with  befitting  titles  and  denominations,  which  had 


9 


* 


no  limit  but  the  poet’s  fervid  imagination,  and 
certain  of  which  were  : 

“ O Lord  of  the  Milk  ! 

Perfumed  Almond  Flower  ! 

O Little  Rajah  of  the  Moon  ! 

Whisper  from  the  Milky  Way  ! 

Thou  Pearl  from  the  Green  Sea !” 

And  the  poet  would  further  recite  a neatly- 
turned  sonnet  in  which  he  extolled  his  charms 
and  beauty  with  a bold  and  daring  simile  that  had 
to  be  invented  every  day  anew.  After  all  these 
ceremonies,  court  etiquette  permitted  him  to  enter 
the  pavilion  of  the  Princess,  there  to  be  petted 
and  stroked  by  his  fair  admirer. 

He  would  manifest  his  love  to  her  the  best 
way  he  could,  by  purring  softly  and  gently  and 
by  rubbing  his  silken  body  under  her  bejeweled 
hand.  When  she  grew  tired  of  caressing  and 
playing  with  him  she  would  order  her  servants  to 
bring  one  of  her  large  jewel-chests.  Out  of  it 
she  would  choose  a bracelet  for  the  slender  neck 


of  White  Lotus.  One  day  it  might  be  a brace- 
let inlaid  with  pearls,  the  next  day  perhaps  one 
of  rubies,  the  following  emeralds,  and  then  end- 
less combinations  and  designs  with  the  most  as- 
tonishing variety  of  precious  stones  and  gems,  in 
rotation,  for  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  in 
the  year ; and  never  did  White  Lotus  wear  the 
same  ornament  more  than  once. 

Those  were  happy  days  for  him,  and  he  drank 
the  cup  of  Delight,  slowly,  sipping  it  with  the 
intensity  and  fervor  of  One  Who  Knew. 

Their  anger  was  great  when  the  other  gods  saw 
how  Indra  had  stooped  so  low  as  to  fall  in  love 
with  a common  mortal  and  had  furthermore  im- 
personated a low,  fish-eating  animal ; but,  to  their 
intense  disgust,  he  seemed  indifferent  to  their 
wounded  feelings  and  his  wife’s  jealousy  ; he  ap- 
peared supremely  happy  and  quite  unconscious 
that  time  was  flying  and  that  he  was  still  dese- 
crating his  high  office  by  such  behavior. 

So  they  all  met  in  council  and  agreed  upon  a 


13 


y. 


X 

*s 


plan  which  would  force  him  from  his  present  con- 
dition and  restore  him  to  his  state. 

Next  morning  the  Princess  fell  suddenly  and 
dangerously  ill.  The  most  famous  healers,  quacks 
and  doctors  were  summoned  from  the  remotest 
corners  of  the  peninsula,  but  all  this  was  of  small 
avail ; she  grew  from  bad  to  worse,  until  they  all 
felt  that  mute  Death  could  not  be  far  away. 

White  Lotus  in  the  meantime  was  in  great  an- 
guish ; helpless  and  lonely  he  wandered  round 
the  palace  like  a lost  Soul  in  search  of  Paradise. 

With  a lover’s  intuition  he  had  divined  who 
was  to  blame  for  this  insidious  vengeance  which 
was  intended  to  wound  him  mortally. 

After  fruitless  deliberation,  he  quickly  ascended 
the  highest  tower  in  the  palace,  and  from  there 
demanded  obedience  from  the  mutinous  gods  ; 
but  he  was  only  derided  ; then  he  invoked  their 
kindness  and  mercy. 

After  a long  silence  a clear  voice  rang  out  from 
the  sky  above  him  : ‘c  Sacrifice  for  sacrifice,  weep 


ls 


/ (¥/ 


seven  times  as  the  sun  goes  up  and  as  the  sun 
goes  to  rest,  and  those  tears  will  save  the  Prin- 
cess. 

He  returned  to  the  palace,  and  there,  in  great 
sadness  and  hope,  wept  tears  for  the  redemption 
of  a precious  life.  The  crystal  bowl  filled  with 
his  tepid  tears  was  brought  to  the  dying  Princess, 
and  she  was  sprinkled  with  them  and  ablution 
was  performed. 

This  improved  her  condition,  and  the  ablution 
was  repeated  in  the  morning  and  in  the  evening 
for  seven  days  and  seven  nights  until  the  Prin- 
cess recovered  and  then  called  for  her  saviour. 

But  now  poor  White  Lotus  had  wept  his  eyes 
out,  and  had  to  be  carried  lean  and  misshapen 
into  the  arms  of  the  Princess,  and  there,  with  a 
last  quiver,  he  nestled  against  her  heart  and  died 
happy. 

They  burned  him  with  royal  honors,  and  great 
festivities  followed. 

When  the  Princess  looked  into  the  bowl  she 


17 


saw  the  eyes  of  White  Lotus  staring  at  her 
from  its  depth  ; they  were  crystallized  as  if  to 
perpetuate  his  love  and  sacrifice. 

She  had  them  set  in  a bracelet  of  gold  and 
pearls,  that  she  might  look  into  his  eyes  as  long 
as  she  lived. 


F6  "X  ' " ^ I 


m 


